


Eclipse

by Zeiskyte



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Gen, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Post canon angst time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeiskyte/pseuds/Zeiskyte
Summary: They've always been two halves of the same whole, minds never more than a breath apart. Even now, Sho has never walked his path alone.
Relationships: Minazuki Sho & Minazuki Sho
Comments: 15
Kudos: 38
Collections: Marigolds Discord Recs, Quality Persona Fics





	Eclipse

**Author's Note:**

> my brain: you have three unfinished Goro fics...  
> me: sho minazuki,,,
> 
> I recently found out about p4u2 and I haven't been able to stop thinking about Sho. This was supposed to be Shobrys but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯. I swear I'll eventually write Shobrys.
> 
> This is really self-indulgent and is 95% just headcanons for post-ultimax. Can be read as Sho & Minazuki or Sho/Minazuki, whatever floats your boat.

It took Sho four months to return to Inaba.

After the P-1 Grand Prix, he did some... _soul-searching_ , or whatever the fuck people called it. Travelled around Japan with his katanas, the money he inherited from that old bastard Ikutsuki, and the clothes on his back. He managed to stay off the Kirijo radar and far away from those Investigation brats, which was a nice change of pace. Getting lecture after lecture about the sunshine and rainbows of friendship was enough to send him into another coma. Yeah, no thanks.

So - he tried the nomad lifestyle for awhile. Wandered around, eavesdropped on the conversations of locals, and moved onto the next town. If Sho learned anything from his travels, it was that he knew jack _shit_ about life outside of the laboratory. Even with his memories from when he was Minazuki, there were too many things about the world he just _didn't know_. It was wholly overwhelming, coming to terms with an existence that consisted of things besides fighting, fighting, and fighting.

The night he stumbled into Tokyo, Sho was convinced he would die. There were so many people. There were _so many people_ and Sho felt like he was _suffocating_. That was something Sho learned about _himself_ rather than about the world - he was extremely claustrophobic. Go figure.

He had clambered up to the rooftops in his panic. Standing there, he felt as if he were on the top of the world. People - more people than Sho had ever seen in his _life_ \- were _ants_ from up here. After calming his heart, he sat at the edge and allowed his legs to hang over the side, dangling dangerously hundreds of feet above the ground. His fight-or-flight response - perhaps the part of him that used to be Minazuki - screamed at him to move away from the edge, but Sho brushed the warning off. It wasn't like he was planning on jumping.

Perched up here and staring down at the bright city lights, Sho found himself half-entrenched in a memory. In a brief moment of downtime during the P-1 Grand Prix, Sho had sat at the edge of his tower in a similar position. The red moon seemed to shine down on him and _only_ him, and his eyes fixated on the crimson glow. Minazuki had been so insistent on building a world for Sho and, surrounded in red fog and sat at the apex of the tower, Sho felt _loved_.

Of course, that had been when Kirijo and her dogs, the Investigation brats, the half-assed traitor, and that fucking _toaster_ ruined everything. The beauty of the dream _really_ began to fade when Hi-no-Kagutsuchi decided to step in with the whole _demonic possession_ shit and really, Sho should have seen it coming. And of _course_ , Boy Scout Narukami saved the day with the power of friendship and bonds. Wouldn't _that_ make for a good children's story.

And really, all Sho had gotten out of the P-1 Grand Prix was more offers for help than he knew what to do with, numerous lectures about friendship, and a self-awareness about how lame his puns were. Maybe that last one was just from the onset of Minazuki's consciousness. Like it even mattered.

After his first, last, and _only_ night in Tokyo, Sho found himself heading back to Inaba. Seeing just how large a single city could be, he feared what lay outside of Japan. The world outside of the lab was overwhelming. And honestly? The realization that he was extremely close to destroying _the entire world_ made him _sick_.

Inaba was tiny - compared to Tokyo, at least. Boring beyond belief... but _tiny_. Doable. Walking through the town, Sho was able to _breathe_.

It was just his luck that Scrap was visiting the town for a delivery to the Investigation brats. Before Sho knew it, all of the participants of the tournament knew he was back in Inaba. Ice Queen Kirijo somehow convinced him to spend some of Ikutsuki's money on a small apartment. Maybe he just went along with it because there was nothing left for him to do; he felt like a ship stuck in the middle of the ocean, lost and without direction, waiting for someone to pull him back to shore.

Following that same logic, it didn't take long for Scrap to convince him to try school. _Why the hell not_ , he had huffed to shut her up because, really, did he even have a say? Probably not, but at least she smiled and left him the hell alone.

School was... overwhelming, in the same way everything else outside of the lab was. Frankly, Sho was getting really fucking tired of how overwhelming the world was. And the word overwhelming, too. He never wanted to hear it again.

Everyone seemed to stare at him. All the time. Was he some kind of circus attraction or some shit? Sure, his bright red hair and large scar did nothing to help matters but... didn't people have manners? Sho certainly didn't give a damn about _manners_ and other social nuances, but shouldn't everyone else?

Sitting at his desk with a textbook open in front of him on his fourth day, Sho gripped the fabric of his pants. None of this made any fucking sense. He only knew half of the words written down and he sure as _hell_ had no idea what this concept was about. To make it even worse, he felt countless pairs of eyes on him. What the fuck had he done this time?

Apparently he had been called on to read the passage from the textbook. Scrap had told him to stand up when he was called on, and he forced himself to his feet. Looking down at the _kana_ on the page, Sho was certain he was looking at chicken scratch rather than Japanese. He couldn't read it. He couldn't read it and _everybody was staring at him_.

Sho ran.

It was only when Sho was closing his apartment door behind him that his thoughts caught up with him. He couldn't fucking do this. Life was so much easier when all he needed to worry about was sharpening his blades and fighting other children. At least _then_ , things made sense. It was logical - fight to save your neck. He didn't need to concern himself with the intricacies of the world when he was a weapon.

He snatched his katanas from their place on the wall, stomped towards his training dummy, and released his rage. Slice after slice, he screamed his throat raw. He missed fighting, the adrenaline running through his veins. Quiet student life offered _none_ of that, and Sho wondered why he ever allowed himself to be persuaded into giving it a chance.

Honestly, he would even take up a job as a Shadow Operative, despite the hatred he held for the Kirijo's and everything associated with them. It would give him the opportunity to fight Shadows; that _had_ been his purpose, after all.

He gave one final slash before collapsing to his knees in exhaustion. _Damn_ \- he was getting rusty. His endurance was notably worse, if the ache in his arms was anything to go by. It was much easier when Minazuki was around, reminding him of his limits and when to stop. If only...

Sho dug his katanas into the base of the training dummy. No use in wishful thinking. Minazuki was gone and Sho was all alone. This was the solitude he yearned for, wasn't it? ... So why did his heart feel so _heavy_?

He laid down, suddenly feeling incredibly drowsy. Sinking into the _tatami_ , he shut his eyes.

When Sho opened his eyes, he was surrounded in darkness. Well. He could see himself clearly, so maybe it was more fitting to say everything around him was black in color. The saffron yellow of his sneakers stood out starkly against the floor.

The expanse of black spanned all of Sho's vision, as if he were in the middle of nowhere. If there was no entrance or exit, how had he even ended up here?

Where the hell was _here_ , anyway?

Sho tugged the top of his Yasogami High uniform closer to his chest with a scowl. Might as well look for a way out instead of standing around and thinking. Besides, thinking had gotten him nowhere. So - he began walking in the direction he had been facing upon waking up. Good place to start as any, right?

Perhaps not. After what must have been minutes of walking, he was still surrounded in darkness. He paused, shoes scuffing against the floor with a squeak. Glancing around, it was as if nothing had changed at all.

" _Shit_ ," he hissed, clenching his hands into fists. What he wouldn't give to punch something right now. There was no way out, was there? He was trapped here. It was dark, there was no escape, it was just like the _lab_ \- " _Shit!_ "

 _Tch_.

The sound of somebody clicking their tongue echoed throughout the space. Sho's head shot up in an instant. His eyes located the origin of the sound; a figure stood a few yards away from him, wearing a puffy jacket with a camouflage print on it. Their back was turned to Sho and, with their hood pulled up, he couldn't make out their appearance.

Instinctually, Sho reached behind him to grab his swords. His hands met empty air and his breath caught in his throat. What the fuck? Where the hell were his katanas? He scowled and balled his hands into fists. He could feel Tsukiyomi thrumming in the back of his mind, meaning he wasn't _completely_ defenseless. It was a small comfort; Sho still felt off-balance, like the floor had tilted on its axis.

He stomped forward, closing the distance so that he was standing a few feet behind the other person. Even from this far apart, Sho could tell that the person was about the same height as him. Under the puffy camo jacket, the person wore white pants that ended a fair bit above their ankles. Seeing the span of skin before the black sneakers, Sho's eyes widened slightly at the familiar color.

There was no way. This... This had to be a _trick_.

Sho shoved down his hope and allowed the familiar claws of anger to sink its talons into his heart. Clenching his fists until his knuckles flared white, he snarled, "Who the hell are you?"

After a beat of silence, the figure turned around and dropped their hood, revealing red hair and sharp blue eyes.

"I believe the better question," Minazuki said in his careful measured tone, "is who are _you_ , Sho."

Sho allowed his shoulders to drop in his shock. Minazuki had disappeared during the battle with Hi-no-Kagutsuchi. Minazuki was his _Shadow_ ; they had become one after Yu and Adachi had destroyed Kagutsuchi's new vessel. He shouldn't exist, considering that Sho could summon Tsukiyomi.

Tension spiralled through his chest, coiling up like a snake. Sho once again reached for katanas that weren't there and scowled. "He's gone," he spat, keeping his eyes off the doppelganger, "so whatever the hell you are, stop wearing his face."

Minazuki shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket - a jacket Sho actually _owned_ , now that he thought about it - and sighed. "I expected a pun. Or have you grown out of those now?"

Sho narrowed his eyes at the darkness at his feet. "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like banana." He barked out a short humorless laugh. "Get it?"

Despite staring at the ground, Sho could practically _feel_ Minazuki roll his eyes at that.

"It is an interesting use of wordplay," he admitted after a moment, and Sho could pick out amusement in that low voice of his. "Very dispassionate delivery, however."

Sho whipped his head up to meet an identical blue gaze. "Cut the crap. Who are you and what do you want?" He narrowed his eyes into a glare, lips pulling downward into a snarl. "If you're Kaguts _bitchy_ , I'm not interested in destroying the world anymore, so don't spew that bullshit at me."

Minazuki moved his eyes to look somewhere to Sho's left, frowning in thought. He glanced back to Sho with a blink. "You called for me," he said quietly. "I am you, and certainly not that _demon_. Destroying the world holds no interest for me either."

"And _why_ ," Sho stomped a step forward, grabbing the collar of Minazuki's black shirt in a tight fist, "should I believe you?"

The doppelganger stared down at Sho, gaze uninterested. Sho tightened his grip with a growl, attempting to elicit a reaction. Minazuki blinked, listless. He opened his mouth -

" _Tsukiyomi_."

\- and the golden-masked Persona flared to life behind him.

Sho turned his gaze upward, and his eyes got caught on the sight of his Persona behind someone else. It wasn't like in the P-1 Grand Prix, where the fake Shadows summoned fake Personas. Deep in his heart, Sho could tell this was, undoubtedly, _his_ Tsukiyomi.

Suddenly, Minazuki was _hugging him_. The man's chin rested on Sho's shoulder and his arms pulled the two close together. "It's awful," Minazuki murmured, "not being there to take care of you."

Sho sunk his shoulders and melted into the embrace, pressing his face into Minazuki's own shoulder. "It's been quiet without your yapping." He felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I swear you used to think I'd forget how to breathe if you didn't remind me."

Minazuki's torso rumbled with his silent chuckling. "I may have," he admitted quietly. "But you have been doing better recently - without me, that is."

Picking his head up, Sho put his hands on the puffy jacket material covering Minazuki's biceps. Feeling the change in position, Minazuki took his chin off Sho's shoulders and leaned back.

"You saw what happened before I woke up here?" He asked, bitter amusement in his tone. "I'm a goddamn _mess_."

Minazuki gently took Sho's hands in his own, lowering them from their spot on his jacket. Sho could feel Tsukiyomi buzzing beneath his skin and swimming in the connection he had with Minazuki. If he were to really focus, he could close his eyes and see his life through Minazuki's memories. Even separated, their minds were never more than a hair's breadth apart.

Minazuki sighed. "We are whole until you do not wish to be." He met Sho's eyes as his lips quirked up into a small smirk. "So - _we_ are a mess."

Sho laughed with a scrunch of his nose. "Life was _Sho_ much easier when all we had to do was fight, wasn't it?"

"Easier, maybe," Minazuki tilted his head slightly with a knowing look, "but the path you are on now is better."

Sho glanced down at their joined hands. After he had run around Japan with nary a goal in mind, he found himself pulled back to good ol' sleepy Inaba. The Shadow Operatives and the Investigation Team coerced him into enrolling at Yasogami High, and he had given it a shot. Honestly, if that piece of scrap hadn't been so insistent, he would have dropped out after his first day.

Minazuki hummed. "That robot _can_ be pretty insistent in her pushes for friendship."

Sho rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Like that boy scout Yu is any better."

To fill the lull in their conversation, Minazuki rubbed circles against the backs of Sho's hands. It had been difficult, these past few months being whole. Sho figured things would begin to make sense, considering his thoughts and memories were no longer splintered. Apparently life was rather difficult without somebody reminding you to take care of yourself.

Sho exhaled slowly, "I don't think I ever really wanted to destroy the world." His eyes lazily traced the phantom pattern Minazuki was drawing on his skin. "I just..."

"I know."

Sho let out a short laugh. "We sure were stupid, weren't we?"

Minazuki's fingers stalled. With a sigh, he clasped Sho's hands within his own. Through their bond, Sho could feel the overpowering waves of regret and sadness flow into him. This was...

"I failed you," Minazuki said bitterly, eyes wandering down to their joined hands. He shook his head with a grimace. "Solitude was never what you needed. I never should have listened to Kagutsuchi."

Sho focused on his feelings of forgiveness and pushed them through the bond. Minazuki's breath hitched, wince evident in the tightening of his fingers.

Sho cracked a smile. "Don't get sappy or I might _leaf_ ," he snorted. "You're _barking_ up the wrong _tree_ -"

Minazuki pulled back his hands and shoved them into his jacket pockets. "I cannot believe I missed your puns." Despite his retreating mannerisms, his voice was fond. When his body began to blur and grow fuzzy at the edges, he hummed. "Oh."

Sho felt his chest tighten as his hands dropped to his sides. The conversation was winding down and the edges of darkness began to evaporate into light. The walls were peeling back, disappearing -

"H-Hey!" He called, desperation seeping into his tone. Reaching his arm out, his fingertips barely brushed Minazuki's jacket. He was fading, slipping away - "Don't leave me alone, you... _you_..."

In a blink, Sho was back in his apartment on his hands and knees.

His fingers clawed their way through his _tatami_ , eventually curling into fists. His shoulders trembled with his rage as he squeezed his eyes shut. " _Damn it!_ "

He punched the ground with a scream. He pulled his other arm back and reared for another punch.

His arm began to shake. Feeling a burning sensation behind his eyelids, he punched the mat before collapsing to the floor in a sob.

He was so fucking _hopeless_. There was no living in this world as an actual human being. Why had he allowed those brats to convince him that friendship and all that bullcrap was worth it? To hell with that! All he cared about was having Minazuki by his side.

Shakily, his fingers found his necklace and pressed it against his forehead. The silver of the key was cold to the touch, the very embodiment of moonlight. Sho choked a sob. "Minazuki..."

 _Tch. Impatient as always_.

Sho's eyes shot open, dropping the key in his shock. Blinking past his tears, he finally found his voice. "Don't scare me like that, you bastard!"

After a moment, Minazuki sighed; he sounded very tired. _You split us apart again._

Sho pulled himself up to sit, drawing his legs up and crossing his arms over his knees. He leaned his head forward and pressed his forehead against his arms. "Something wrong with wanting a friend?"

 _Admittedly... it's a step in the right direction_.

Sho pressed his head further against his arms, eyes trailing the golden stitching of his uniform. "Are..." he frowned, furrowing his brow in his indecision, "are you mad? At me, I mean."

Minazuki hummed in thought. _No_ , he said with a sense of finality. _I could never be mad at you, Sho_.

Sho let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, shoulders trembling with the exhale. His chest felt lighter with that admission.

 _If you wish for me to be here, I will be here_. He said decisively. _Your happiness has always been my purpose of existence._

"That's kinda sad," Sho murmured, eyes half-lidded, "don'tcha think that's unfair to you?"

Minazuki gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. _It was all I needed. I was content with that purpose._

"Would me staying in school and trying to make friends make you happy?"

_Make me..?_

Sho huffed a laugh. "Your happiness matters too, you dufus."

After a beat of silence, Minazuki breathed a sigh. _If you insist._

"Sooooo..." Sho picked his head up and stretched his legs. "School?"

Minazuki smirked. _How else will you expand your vocabulary?_

Sho fell onto his back with a groan. "You're _sho_ lame."

 _Pot, meet kettle_.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Zeiskyte)!


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